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...that OCI takes place in August, not December. Alternatively, we discuss in detail what we are doing to prepare for the upcoming employment tupacalypse now that the S&P 500 has entered freefall.

Things I plan to do this spring to prepare for a Thunderdome-esque SA experience:

(1) Get in shape. If my firm locks all the SA's in a conference room to see who wants it most vis a vis FIGHT TO THE DEATH, I'll be damned if some mouthbreather gets my permanent offer because he benches more than I do. See also- kickboxing lessons.

(2) Pre-drafting memos on topics my firm has strong practices in. You never know. Ten pages of expertise on shipwreck salvage law might be the difference maker when 60% offer rates hit the fan. Guarantee no one else will be this prepared.

(3) Condition my body to function on 500 calories/day. Firms will appreciate it when you don't break the bank on attorney lunches this summer. If it comes down to it, who do you think gets the offer: (1) The hog who averaged $27 per meal stuffing his face with truffle-sprinkled whatevers; or (2) the kid who preserved PPP, took one for the team and had a cup of tomato bisque w/ice water. Remember Piggy from Lord of the Flies? Not gonna be me. Nuh uh, no way.

What else am I missing? I want to leave nothing to chance.

IrwinM.Fletcher wrote:...that OCI takes place in August, not December. Alternatively, we discuss in detail what we are doing to prepare for the upcoming employment tupacalypse now that the S&P 500 has entered freefall.

Things I plan to do this spring to prepare for a Thunderdome-esque SA experience:

(1) Get in shape. If my firm locks all the SA's in a conference room to see who wants it most vis a vis FIGHT TO THE DEATH, I'll be damned if some mouthbreather gets my permanent offer because he benches more than I do. See also- kickboxing lessons.

(2) Pre-drafting memos on topics my firm has strong practices in. You never know. Ten pages of expertise on shipwreck salvage law might be the difference maker when 60% offer rates hit the fan. Guarantee no one else will be this prepared.

(3) Condition my body to function on 500 calories/day. Firms will appreciate it when you don't break the bank on attorney lunches this summer. If it comes down to it, who do you think gets the offer: (1) The hog who averaged $27 per meal stuffing his face with truffle-sprinkled whatevers; or (2) the kid who preserved PPP, took one for the team and had a cup of tomato bisque w/ice water. Remember Piggy from Lord of the Flies? Not gonna be me. Nuh uh, no way.

What else am I missing? I want to leave nothing to chance.

This made me smile.

What do we give thanks for if we don't yet have employment for next summer, and are in debt?

Oh wait, I figured it out just as I posted and then reached for the high life I'm drinking.

IrwinM.Fletcher wrote:...that OCI takes place in August, not December. Alternatively, we discuss in detail what we are doing to prepare for the upcoming employment tupacalypse now that the S&P 500 has entered freefall.

Things I plan to do this spring to prepare for a Thunderdome-esque SA experience:

(1) Get in shape. If my firm locks all the SA's in a conference room to see who wants it most vis a vis FIGHT TO THE DEATH, I'll be damned if some mouthbreather gets my permanent offer because he benches more than I do. See also- kickboxing lessons.

(2) Pre-drafting memos on topics my firm has strong practices in. You never know. Ten pages of expertise on shipwreck salvage law might be the difference maker when 60% offer rates hit the fan. Guarantee no one else will be this prepared.

(3) Condition my body to function on 500 calories/day. Firms will appreciate it when you don't break the bank on attorney lunches this summer. If it comes down to it, who do you think gets the offer: (1) The hog who averaged $27 per meal stuffing his face with truffle-sprinkled whatevers; or (2) the kid who preserved PPP, took one for the team and had a cup of tomato bisque w/ice water. Remember Piggy from Lord of the Flies? Not gonna be me. Nuh uh, no way.

What else am I missing? I want to leave nothing to chance.

I've made some strange posts, but this, this is...strange. Good for you man.

IrwinM.Fletcher wrote: (1) The hog who averaged $27 per meal stuffing his face with truffle-sprinkled whatevers; or (2) the kid who preserved PPP, took one for the team and had a cup of tomato bisque w/ice water. Remember Piggy from Lord of the Flies? Not gonna be me. Nuh uh, no way.

I realize you're kidding and I enjoyed your joke, but your hyperbole is off base. I worked at a V5 in NYC this summer; average lunch bill was probably $70 or so. Eating a $27 lunch would make you look like a frugal prole unfit for serving your corporate overlords.

Unrelatedly, don't sweat the drop in the S&P 500. Corporate profits were stronger than expected and that's where the legal bills get paid. All summer in our last big freefall things were calm because everyone realized that the markets were freaking but the corporate overlords were doing just fine. Obviously BAC would like to be above $5 but it won't be hard up on cash to fork over to big firms any time soon.

Average lunch bill is $70? Fucking wish I had an SA position lined up .

Eco wrote:Average lunch bill is $70? Fucking wish I had an SA position lined up .

this seems stupid and wrong. if it's true probably only in NYC. can't imagine a $70 lunch bill in SF/SV

what the hell are you eating for lunch that comes to $70.

traehekat wrote:what the hell are you eating for lunch that comes to $70.

Burger with a side of gold to go.

traehekat wrote:what the hell are you eating for lunch that comes to $70.

It really would not be that tough to do in NYC if you're at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Three plates at Jean Georges for lunch will set you back nearly $60, and that's considered a hell of a deal. The tasting menu for lunch at Eleven Madison Square Park is $125 (if you go with the more subdued four-course route, you're only looking at $74), and the lunch "Menú Tradizionale" is $75 at Del Posto. (And none of those prices include drinks or tip.) I've heard all three of those restaurants brought up as "favorites" of biglaw summers.

Thankful for my D. Ct. Clerkship --> Biglaw after finishing first semester 1L in bottom quarter.

who eats four courses for lunch??

such displays of wealth scream of new money and overeating. if you are spending more than $30-$40 for a NICE lunch you are fucking up. if you can't do lunch for $15-$20, you are an idiot. I don't care if you make 60k, 160k, or 1.6mil. stupid kids.

Helmholtz wrote:

traehekat wrote:what the hell are you eating for lunch that comes to $70.

It really would not be that tough to do in NYC if you're at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Three plates at Jean Georges for lunch will set you back nearly $60, and that's considered a hell of a deal. The tasting menu for lunch at Eleven Madison Square Park is $125 (if you go with the more subdued four-course route, you're only looking at $74), and the lunch "Menú Tradizionale" is $75 at Del Posto. (And none of those prices include drinks or tip.) I've heard all three of those restaurants brought up as "favorites" of biglaw summers.

f7u12 wrote:

traehekat wrote:what the hell are you eating for lunch that comes to $70.

Lots and lots of steakhouse lunches.

So, as a vegetarian, should I just give up on my dreams of biglaw?

f7u12 wrote:

c3pO4 wrote:such displays of wealth scream of new money and overeating. if you are spending more than $30-$40 for a NICE lunch you are fucking up. if you can't do lunch for $15-$20, you are an idiot. I don't care if you make 60k, 160k, or 1.6mil. stupid kids.

Good call: summers should turn down partners and yell about how they're being all nouveau riche when they offer to take you out to lunch.

this fool was talking about average lunch prices foo. partners aren't takin summers out to lunch every day and droppin 70 bucks a head yo

f7u12 wrote:

traehekat wrote:what the hell are you eating for lunch that comes to $70.

Lots and lots of steakhouse lunches.

The biglaw shop I worked at in NYC would budget $50 a head for in house lunches. I don't even know what the budget was for out of the office.

c3pO4 wrote:

f7u12 wrote:

c3pO4 wrote:such displays of wealth scream of new money and overeating. if you are spending more than $30-$40 for a NICE lunch you are fucking up. if you can't do lunch for $15-$20, you are an idiot. I don't care if you make 60k, 160k, or 1.6mil. stupid kids.

Good call: summers should turn down partners and yell about how they're being all nouveau riche when they offer to take you out to lunch.

this fool was talking about average lunch prices foo. partners aren't takin summers out to lunch every day and droppin 70 bucks a head yo

Our soft "guideline" was $50/person -- partners, summers, or associates. No limits on the number of lunches per week, either.

c3pO4 wrote:

f7u12 wrote:

c3pO4 wrote:such displays of wealth scream of new money and overeating. if you are spending more than $30-$40 for a NICE lunch you are fucking up. if you can't do lunch for $15-$20, you are an idiot. I don't care if you make 60k, 160k, or 1.6mil. stupid kids.

Good call: summers should turn down partners and yell about how they're being all nouveau riche when they offer to take you out to lunch.

this fool was talking about average lunch prices foo. partners aren't takin summers out to lunch every day and droppin 70 bucks a head yo

You vastly underestimate how much money law firms flush down the toilet.

traehekat wrote:who eats four courses for lunch??

It's not like four courses at Eleven Madison Square Park is an inordinate amount of food. At Jean Georges, amuse bouche + two plates and dessert OR three plates and no dessert is about the right amount of food for me. A plate/course is usually going to be about around this size:

Flanker1067 wrote:What do we give thanks for if we don't yet have employment for next summer, and are in debt?

You can be thankful that you're not yet a graduate who is unemployed and in debt.



-- That's the Michigan Difference

c3pO4 wrote:such displays of wealth scream of new money and overeating. if you are spending more than $30-$40 for a NICE lunch you are fucking up. if you can't do lunch for $15-$20, you are an idiot. I don't care if you make 60k, 160k, or 1.6mil. stupid kids.

I hate everything about this post.

c3pO4 wrote:

f7u12 wrote:

c3pO4 wrote:such displays of wealth scream of new money and overeating. if you are spending more than $30-$40 for a NICE lunch you are fucking up. if you can't do lunch for $15-$20, you are an idiot. I don't care if you make 60k, 160k, or 1.6mil. stupid kids.

Good call: summers should turn down partners and yell about how they're being all nouveau riche when they offer to take you out to lunch.

this fool was talking about average lunch prices foo. partners aren't takin summers out to lunch every day and droppin 70 bucks a head yo

at good NY firms they are.

at good NY firms they are.

Huh? No. Lot's of V5 and V10 firms in NYC have limits per week on the number of lunches associates can do.

It really would not be that tough to do in NYC if you're at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Three plates at Jean Georges for lunch will set you back nearly $60, and that's considered a hell of a deal. The tasting menu for lunch at Eleven Madison Square Park is $125 (if you go with the more subdued four-course route, you're only looking at $74), and the lunch "Menú Tradizionale" is $75 at Del Posto. (And none of those prices include drinks or tip.) I've heard all three of those restaurants brought up as "favorites" of biglaw summers.

That's all well and good, but it gets tiresome after a while. I felt nauseous after the second course at a nice restaurant toward the end of the summer.


And aside from that, given the way Europe is going, you had better focus on billing hours to ensure you get that offer. Not to mention, meal budgets will probably get cut too.

$70 a person does sound a bit on the high side, but I can imagine it. Even in Atlanta, $20-30 a plate at a nice place is pretty standard for lunch. Once you add on an app, tax and tip, you can easily hit $50+. At a high end place, $70 isn't unimaginable.

I'm in finance and our per person max for business development is $150. You'll rarely see that for lunch, but it's not odd for dinner with prospective clients. Point is, we don't go to Burger King when the firm takes us out. We go to the same places we take clients and we rarely think twice about the bill.

I'd be less worried about the bill and more worried about them liking me. Good luck, though.